Apparatus for printing tape.



A. H. MARSHALL & T. L. RICHARDSON. APPARATUS PQR PRINTING TAB. APPLICATION FILED PEB. Z6, 1914.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914..

A. H. MARSHALL & T. L. RICHARDSON. APPARATUS POR PRINTING TAPE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1914.

Lww. PatenaAug. 11,1914;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT II.- IIA'RSHALL AND 'THoMAs L. HBICIIABDSON, or ciIIcAGo, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS For, PRINTING TAPE.

Specification'. of Letters Patent.

Applicationled February 26, 1914. Serial No. 821,263.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914..

To all whom it may concern n Be Ait known that we, ALBERT H. MAR- SHALL and THOMAS L. RICHARDSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of k anduState of Illinois, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Printing Tape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for printing tape employed for tying packages of merchandise, a roll of gummed tapevbeing provided on which advertising or other matter is printed as the tape is unwound for use.- In connection .with the printing mechanism, there is also provided a device for nioistening the gummed side of the tape, and a tear-off device.

The invention has for its object to .provide an efficient apparatus ofthe kind stated which is Sim le in construction and devoid of parts lia le to get out of order, and adapted for tapesof different widths. This object is attained by means of ya novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, andl in 'i order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, lin which-f- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on the`line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a slightly mcdiied support for the tape roll.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the roll of tape and the printingi mechanism-are inclosed in a housing l0 removably mounted on a base 11, which latter extends forward from one end of the housing and vcarries a trough 12 containing a moistening roller 13. The rear end wall of the housing is hinged at the bottom` as indicated at 14, to permit access to the mechanism inclosed in the housing. The top of the housing has a hinged lid 15 held closed by a spring catch The base 11 has upstanding lugs 17 over which the housing seats, and by means of transverse pins 18`passing through registering apertures in the lugs and the side walls of the housing, the latter is held in place on the base. U on withdrawing the' pins the housing may e removed from the ase.

In the side walls of the housing 10, at the top thereoare downwardly extending, opposite slots 19 which serve as bearings for the shaft 20 on which the roll of gu'mmed tape 21 is mounted. The slots extend down from the top edges of the housing side walls, and they are closed b the lid 15 when the latter is in closed' position. The shaft may be a'bolt having a head 22 at one end and receiving a Wing nut 23 atv the other end. Upon removing the wing nut, the shaft may be withdrawn for mounting another tape roll thereon. The tape is carried in a roll on a core 24 having a'central bore to receive a sleeve 25 through which the shaft 20 loosely passes. The sleeve projects slightly fromthe ends of the core, and between the ends of the sleeve and the side walls of the housing are located disks 26 through which -tlie shaft passes. The'roll of tape fits between these disks and is prevented thereby from being disarranged. If a roll of tape narrower than'the one shown in Fig. 2 is u'sed, spacing sleeves 27 are interposed between the disks 26 and the side walls of the housing 10, as shown in Fig. 5. A Ashorter core 28 anda core sleeve 29 are also provided. By mounting the tape roll as hereinbefore described, 1t is properly centered with respect to the printing'mechanism, and

the advertising and other matter is accuvand thence upward to the rear of'the roll and across the top of the roll to the moistening device to be presently described. In front and to the rear othe roll are guide rollers 34 over which the tape passes. The typel cylinder 30 is spring-pressed toward the impression cylinder 31 by the following devices:

l 25 into the former of which the sleeves screw,

The shaft 35 `of the typecylinder is mounted in slots 36 in the side walls of .-the

housing 10, said slots having downturned portions 37 extending tothe bottom ledge of said side walls so that the cylinderiand its shaft may be mounted in place, or .removed, vafter taking the housing off the base 11. The slots 36 'run in the direction of the impression cylinder, and the shaft 35 is slidable therein. On the sidewalls of the housing are .mounted supports 38 for spring-pressed plungers 394 engagin the shaft 35 at the ends of the type cylinder whereby said cylinder is held pressed toward the impression cylinder. -The supports 38 carry sleeves 40 which are screwthreaded externally 'to screw finto said supports. The plungers 39 extend into the sleeves and on the outside of the latter have abutments 41, between which abutments and the ends of the sleeves, springs 42 are coiled'around the vplun ers. Thel tension of the springs may be a justed by screwing the sleeves in or out. The support 38 has spaced end portions 43 and 44, respectively,

and the latter have guide apertures through which the plungers ass.

The cylinder 33 1s held pressed against the c linder 32 by springs 45 engageable with th'e s aft 46 of the former, said shaft being mounted in slots 47 in the side walls of the housing 10. The shaft 48 of the cylinder 32 is also mounted inslots 49 in the. housing side walls.

From the frontguide roller 34, the tape 'passes downward and forward between rollers 50 and 51 respectively, the former being spring-pressed toward the latter by a spring-'52bearing a ainstv the shaft 53' of said roller 50, said s aftl being mounted in slots 54 in the side walls of the housing -10. In the front wall of the housing is a 'slot 55 through which thetape passes to the moistening roller 13.- On the outside of the 'housing front wall, above the moistening roller, is a tearotf device 56.

In operation, the tape 1s withdrawn from `the housing and moistened on its gummed side by passing it over the -roller 13, and when the desired length has been withdrawn, the tape is severed by 'a quick jerk against the tear-oif device 56. When the tape is being unwound from Athe roll, it is 'front-lend of said housing printed on its ungummed side in its passage between the cylinders 30 and 31.

We claim:

1. In a tape-printing machine, a tape roll, a shaft supporting said roll,I disks on the shaft between 'whlch" the roll is mounted,

guide rollers in front and to the rear of front end of said housing having a t-ape exit slot, a pair of rollers in the housing adjacent to said slot, between which rollers the tape asses, and impression and type cylinders Iteneath .the tape roll and tothe fthe roll, a housing inclosng the roll, the

rear thereof, between which cylinders the tape passes and thence upward over the rear guide roller and across. the top of thev roll between the aforesaid disks, and thence over the front guide roller and down to the pair of rollers adjacent to theexit slot.

2. In a tape-printing machine, a tape roll,

a shaft supporting said roll, disks on the shaft-between .whlch the roll is mounted,

guide rollers in front and to the rear of` the roll, the aving a tape exit slot, a pair of rollers in the housing the roll, a`housing inclosin ladjacent to said slot,'between which rollers the tape`passes, one of 'said lrollers being springipressed toward the other, impression and typecylinders beneath the tape roll and to the reartliereof, between whic cylinders the tape passes and thence upward over the A rear eroller and across the top of the roll between the aforesaid disks, and thence over the front guide roller and down to the pair of rollers adjacent to the exit slot.

3. In a tape-printing apparatus, animpression cylinder, -a type cylinder and' its shaft, a bearing in which the .type cylinder shaft is slidable, plun'gvers engaging said shaft, externally threaded sleevesmto which the` rear ends'of the plungers extend, supports into which the -sleeves are screwed,v

abutments on the` plungers, and springs coiled around the plun ers between the abntments and the ends o the sleeves.

In testimony whereof 'we .ax our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT H. MARSHALL. THOMAS L. mcHAiuJsoN.4

Witnesses:

S: J. Immmn, H. G. BA'rcmaon. 

